Pages

Monday, November 25, 2013

10 Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids {Guest Post}

If you're here looking for Much Ado About Monday, we'd like to let you know that it's taking a holiday break this week. Be sure to stop by next Sunday night to share all of your newest projects, recipes and ideas with us! Enjoy Thanksgiving with your families! And now, we'd like to introduce Kristen from The Frugal Girl to you all. She has rounded up a great assortment of Thanksgiving crafts that the kids would love to create this week. We love all of these ideas, especially the Pinecone turkeys! Be sure to check them all out. :)

The holidays, they are nearly upon
us. Thoughts of spending and busyness and stress probably flood your mind at
the thought, especially when you consider the end-of-December holidays.

So, instead of running around like a
crazy person, buying, buying, buying, why not carve out some time to spend with
the small people you love the most? And what better way to do that than to
craft something up together?

Though the December holidays are
more traditionally associated with crafting, there are lots of fun Thanksgiving
themed crafts you can do. Plus, many of them will encourage your children
to be grateful for what they have, and hey, any time you can combine fun and
character-building, it's a win-win!

Tackle this one right away so that
you can enjoy the countdown for a week or two (Thanksgiving is late this year,
so you still have time!)

2.
Turkey Cookies

If flour and baking sheets terrify
you, never fear. These adorable turkey cookies require no mixing or
baking...you just need Oreos, peanut butter cups, candy corn, malted milk
balls, and some frosting. Full directions are available at The Dating
Divas.

3.
Turkey Cupcakes

If you're a little more comfy with
the idea of baking, perhaps turkey cupcakes would be more your style.
Check out these cute turkey cupcakes, made with Oreos, peanut butter cookies, and candy corn.

4.
Thankful Tree

To help kids get into the thankful
mindset before the actual holiday arrives, make a thankful tree. Gather
up some branches (spray paint them if you like), place them in a vase, and cut
out leaf shapes from construction paper. Punch a hole in the top of each leaf
so you can hang it from the tree.

Each day, help your child think of
something to be thankful for, write it on the leaf, and hang the leaf from the
branches (thread or yarn both work.)

A pressed leaf garland is a really classy and beautiful way to display the things
you're thankful for! Press and dry colorful fall leaves, decorate with
metallic pens, and hot glue to black satin ribbon.

6.
Send Thankful Postcards

While it's great to help kids think
of things they're thankful for, it's even better to teach them to express that
thankfulness to others. So, why not send postcards to people your kids
appreciate (teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors)?

You could do this with store-bought
postcards, but making them with your kids is easy and will make the note more
special. Here's how to make a basic
postcard that your kids can decorate.

7.
Thankful Bulletin Board

This simple idea comes from
Parents.com. Just divide a bulletin board
into sections for each family member, and let everyone pin things that they're
thankful for. Kids can cut out photos from magazines or catalogs, pin
photos, draw what they're thankful for, or simply write out their thanks.

8.
Pinecone Turkeys

If you live in an area with pine
trees, pick up some pinecones and make some turkeys.

Give some or all of these projects a try with your
kids. Your kids will produce something beautiful and learn to practice
the art of thankfulness, but even more importantly, as you spend time with your
kids, you'll be giving them the gift of your presence.

Kristen is an east
coast wife, mom, and blogger behind The Frugal Girl. In an effort to inspire
others to live frugally, Kristen contributes to the CareOne Debt Relief Services blog,
a community that provides debt consolidation and money-saving advice.

How great are these crafts?? I know that all of our kids would have a blast creating these on their Thanksgiving break. Thanks again to Kristen for providing us with this great guest post! :)